Hall Center to host 10th annual celebration of books by KU authors

LAWRENCE – The Hall Center for the Humanities will host the 10th annual Celebration of Books published by humanities, social sciences and arts faculty in 2011. The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 8 in the Hall Center Conference Hall. It is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required by Thursday, March 1. The Friends of the Hall Center sponsors this annual event.

The Celebration will recognize the 33 faculty members who published 37 books in the humanities, social sciences and arts last year. Their works explore such varied topics as scribes in the Salem witch trials, interest group politics, counterterrorism policies in central Asia, electoral geography and Mexican-American families across generations, representing the depth and breadth of humanities research at the University of Kansas. The celebration will feature a reception, a display of books and a program by faculty members.

Three featured faculty authors will make brief presentations on their work and take questions from the audience.

Tanya Golash-Boza, assistant professor of sociology, will discuss “Immigration Nation: Raids, Detentions and Deportations in Post-9/11 America,” which provides a critical analysis of the impact that U.S. immigration policy has on human rights. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11 resulted in a six-fold increase of raids, detentions and deportations of immigrants. Policies intended to provide family reunification instead often tear families apart.

John C. Tibbetts, associate professor of film and media studies, will discuss “The Gothic Imagination: Conversations in Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction in the Media,” which presents interviews and conversations with prominent novelists, filmmakers, artists and film and television directors and actors as they trace the Gothic mode across three centuries, from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” through H.P. Lovecraft, to today’s science fiction, goth and steampunk culture.

Thomas Tuozzo, professor of philosophy, will discuss “Plato’s Charmides: Positive Elenchus in a ‘Socratic’ Dialogue,” which argues that Plato's dialogue “Charmides” presents a unitary but incomplete argument intended to lead its readers to substantive philosophical insights. Through careful analysis of Plato's arguments concerning the virtue of “sophrosyne,” or moderation, the book brings the dialogue's lines of inquiry together, carrying Plato's argument to a substantive conclusion and reversing important misconceptions about “Charmides.”

Those who wish to attend should RSVP to the Hall Center at (785) 864-4798 or by email by March 1.

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